1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine and a playing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Known gaming machines run slot games in each of which plural types of symbols are scrolled and then stopped and a predetermined number of game media (e.g. a predetermined number of coins or a predetermined amount of money) is awarded based on the combination of the stopped symbols. Such gaming machines are disclosed in, for example, the specifications of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,960,133, 6,012,983, and 6,093,102.
Such gaming machines include a gaming machine which awards a prize when a predetermined condition is met in a game (e.g. predetermined symbols are rearranged in a slot game). For example, the specification of Australian Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1972901 discloses a slot machine which runs a free game as an auxiliary game when a predetermined condition (i.e. a particular set of symbols) is met in a base game. Since a free game is playable without betting a game medium, players playing slot games typically long for free games.
Taking this into account, the inventor of the present invention came up with an idea that players may be attracted to play games when a prize which is awarded in response to the realization of a predetermined condition in a game has a feature which is unexpected in the above-described prior art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine and a playing method thereof, which feature an entertainment characteristic unexpected in the above-described prior art.